Nebraska opens the 2026 season with a matchup that looks plenty manageable on paper, and the Huskers have a path to turning it into a lopsided result against Ohio on Saturday.
The Bobcats are not a team to dismiss outright. They won nine games last season, and before that they posted double-digit wins in back-to-back years.
Frank Solich helped build Ohio into a steady program, and the Bobcats have already shown they can handle road trips, winning at West Virginia and losing at Rutgers by a field goal. They also played at Ohio State last season, so Memorial Stadium should not rattle them.
Even so, Nebraska is a 23.5-point favorite for a reason.
Ohio’s biggest problem last season showed up against the run. The Bobcats gave up 4.4 yards per carry, and while they were 42nd in the FBS in points allowed, stopping the ground game was a clear weakness.
They bring back only one starter on the defensive line, though they do return 21 starters at linebacker. Nebraska’s offensive line should be able to lean on that group, especially with Anthony Colandrea in the mix and the zone read part of the plan.
Colandrea likely won’t be asked to carry the ball much, but Nebraska has enough backs to spread the work around, with all three likely landing in the 10-to-15 carry range. The hot hand should get the biggest workload, and the Huskers could push past 200 rushing yards.
Ohio will also try to answer on the ground, and that is where Nebraska’s front seven should take over. The Bobcats averaged 227 rushing yards per game last season and 5.4 yards per attempt, so the run game is central to what they do.
Their offense leans on quarterback runs in a spread option look, with Nick Poulous expected to be the starter. Poulous ran eight times for 34 yards last season.
Backup Matt Vezza, who started for New Hampshire last season, rushed for 601 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground. Running back Duncan Brune, who was preseason All-MAC, had 585 yards and eight rushing touchdowns.
The production is real, but Nebraska’s defense should be ready for it. Rob Aurich’s unit has five new starters in the front seven, or eight if Dexter Foster and Vincent Shavers are included, and the linebackers are good enough to draw Bo Pelini comparisons.
The defensive line should be sturdier too, and the Blackshirts have a chance to make a point about stopping the run.
Then there’s Colandrea, who knows this defense well. He has thrown for more than 7,500 yards in his career, and he already has experience against Ohio after barely clearing 180 passing yards with an interception in the bowl game, while also running for just 28 yards in the loss.
That familiarity should help him settle in quickly. Nebraska’s receivers should have room to work as well.
The three starters all had at least 448 yards last season, Luke Lindenmeyer is back, and Quinn Clark looks ready to break out.
Put it all together, and Nebraska should have more than enough to control the game. Colandrea is unlikely to repeat that rough performance against Ohio, and the Huskers have the pieces to score more than 40 points while covering the spread with room to spare.
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Matt Rhule Just Set The Standard For Nebraska Year 4
Matt Rhule is heading into his fourth season at Nebraska with the kind of perspective that usually comes only after a full rebuild has been lived through, not simply talked about. The comparison to Fred Hoibergs fourth year on the basketball side is hard to miss, especially with both coaches taking over programs that needed major repair and then being asked to steady them in front of a restless fan base.
Troy Dannen has already made clear how difficult the football job looked when Rhule arrived, describing the program as fairly well broken, and Rhule has acknowledged the weight that comes with that reality. He has also pointed to Hoibergs perseverance as something he respects and can draw from, while making it clear the next step for his team is to finish better in late-season games and turn the rebuild into something that lasts. [Read more 🡒]
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Nebraskas backfield will be one of the first real tests of the 2026 season, and the opener against Ohio arrives with both programs trying to reload on the ground. The Huskers have to move on from All-American Emmett Johnson, while Ohio is also reshaping its rushing attack after losing Sieh Bangura and the ground production Parker Navarro brought at quarterback. It is the kind of early matchup that can say plenty about how quickly a team has plugged a major roster hole.
For Nebraska, the intrigue is in who actually carries the load. Mekhi Nelson, Isaiah Mozee and true freshman Jamal Rule are the leading options, but none has entered college as a featured running back, which makes the first few weeks especially important. Ohio has more continuity with Duncan Brune back after meaningful playing time last season and UConn transfer Victor Rosa in the mix, so the Huskers new-look group may have to grow up fast if they want to keep pace in a game that could hinge on which backfield settles first. [Read more 🡒]
Luke Lindenmeyer Is Pushing For A Bigger Final Husker Role
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For Nebraska, the interest goes beyond one player adding polish to his skill set. Lindenmeyer is trying to do more than just fill snaps in his last run through the program, aiming instead to bring leadership and a steadier presence to a group that needs it. If that work translates, the Huskers could get more from the tight end position at a time when every bit of offensive growth matters, and Lindenmeyer's final season might end up carrying a larger imprint than expected. [Read more 🡒]